Quebec has recently experienced a rapid escalation of deadly violence and threats directed at Muslims.

The murder of six praying Muslim men, vandalism of local mosques, media sensationalism about Muslims, right wing rage opposing an anti-Islamophobia motion in Parliament, a bomb threat against Muslim students at Concordia University – all these elements indicate that this is a crisis demanding a constructive humane response.

Here in Quebec we observe with alarm the presence of neo-fascist and racist groups that are targeting Muslims, as well as the police abuse of people of colour. We are also concerned by the sense of impunity on the part of politicians and the major media who seem more than willing to pick on Muslims. At the same time, we are heartened by the urgency with which people are organizing against fascism and showing solidarity with immigrants and refugees.

Long before Trump, the provincial Parti Québécois’s Quebec Charter of Values debate with mendacious proposals from the Coalition Avenir Québec, set the stage for anti-Muslim and anti-immigrant sentiment in Quebec. This islamophobic “culture,” belongs to the identity project of the nationalist-right; it divides society into two camps: Us and the Others.

The world has helplessly observed massive suffering from warfare waged against Muslim and Middle Eastern countries that straddle the coveted oil reserves. A key player here is Israel with its 50 year-long Western-backed occupation of Palestinian land. There have been more than three decades of neo-liberal economics and its accompanying austerity measures leading to wide-spread poverty and under-employment.

Media complicity only aggravates the situation. Recently, the Gazette and Postmedia, using material provided by the political pro-Israel organization Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs (CIJA) and the B’nai Brith, have printed several major articles targeting Muslims and Palestinian solidarity groups and individuals. Attacks on Palestinian solidarity activists are one major way of how Islamophobia is expressed in Canada.

CIJA has also been busy lobbying to defeat the anti-Islamophobia Motion M103 in Parliament. On this, they have been joined in this by Quebec and Canadian neo-fascist organizations that rallied country-wide last Saturday to oppose Motion103. This is most disturbing; we Jews know only too well what happens when people are scape-goated because of their perceived difference by the Establishment powers.

In times of destabilization, fear and inequality, the ruling elite points the finger at minority groups.

These are the factors that need to be considered in discussing both the terror attack that killed six good people at the Islamic Cultural Center in Quebec City and the recent threats against Muslims.

What must be done in order to fend off racism and bigotry? The answer is clear:

“Be an ally to targeted groups and people.

Stand up to racism and demagoguery.

Show support for Muslims, immigrants, LGBTQ people, Jews and others threatened by hate.

See and greet each other as fellow souls who need to live together on a sustainable planet.

Call out Islamophobia and the attacks on Palestinian solidarity whenever you hear, read, or see an example.

Support the BDS (Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions) movement,

Oppose Canada’s support for wars overseas and Canada’s support of Israel’s occupation of Palestine.

On this episode, we focused on the anti-Jewish immigration laws of the 1920s and 1930s & how they relate to the present. We spoke with Syed Hussan (a migrant justice organizer in Toronto) about the Canadian government's upcoming apology for turning away Jews fleeing the Nazis, and how this fits into Canada's immigration history. We […]

On this episode, we spoke with Aya Alghazzawi - a Palestinian student and activist in Gaza, as well as Ali Abunimah - co-founder and Director of the Electronic Intifada. We talked about life in Gaza, the Great March of Return, and how to understand the current wave of Israeli repression. Show Notes: https://wp.me/p6SqlI-bl

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